One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Untold Tales Of Blackest Night

BAD THING: When you get right down to it, this whole comic is made up of the deleted scenes of Blackest Night. And most of these stories prove to be have been worth being cut. The Titans story by J.T. Krul in particular is rather lackluster, shifting perspectives and telling a story from Donna Troy's POV that really would have been better told completely from Wonder Girl's viewpoint. And we don't get any new information, apart from the revelation that Sinestro Corps book-keeper Lyssa Dark is now working for the power behind the problems in the current GL title.

GOOD THING: There's quite a few good moments here - from seeing how Ragman (whose powers come from a suit made of the souls of the damned) fared during Blackest Night fared to a story showing Scarecrow going through his "fear-lodge" initiation into The Sinestero Corps.

The Final Verdict: Easily skipped. There's nothing here worth the $4.99 price tag, unless you're a Blackest Night completest or a fan of Scarecrow or Animal Man.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Blackest Night #8

GOOD THING: This moment. Just... THIS.

BAD THING: We're left with a lot more questions than answers at the end of this and while I'm sure this is going to lead to some really good stories, it's just really annoying that in the wake of the mass resurrections we see here that there are people who were excluded from the final "Get Out Of The Afterlife" free card and that we have no explanation for WHY they didn't come back.

I'm also seriously peeved that - with Blackest Night now firmly set BEFORE Cry For Justice, there's no chance of a miraculous resurrection for Lian Harper.

The Final Verdict: The failure of some characters to be resurrected at the end may piss you off. And it raises more questions than it answers. But the annoyance raised by those questions is balanced out by some very awesome character moments.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Green Lantern #52

BAD THING: For all the build-up regarding the White Lantern, surprisingly little is done with the concept in this issue. Indeed, Sinestro spends most of the issue incapacitated and the whole part of the plot centering upon the idea of an avatar of Life itself is basically placed on hold for an issue.

GOOD THING: We DO get some page-time for the long-neglected John Stewart, who has to fight the Black Lantern of his wife AND the planet he killed through his negligence. And his main ally in this fight? Fatality - a serial killer of Green Lanterns with a special hatred for John Stewart.

The Final Verdict: The main plot is put on hold for a month as we head into Blackest Night #8. This is made up for by some GREAT scenes for John Stewart. Good solid issue that whets the appetite for the conclusion of this excellent mini-series.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Green Lantern Corps #46

GOOD THING: Some very tense emotional scenes here, with Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner being confronted by the Black Lanterns of the women they loved and lost.

BAD THING: The artwork is amazing, but the layouts leave something to be desired. It gets a little confusing what panel comes before another at times.

The Final Verdict: A wonderful character-driven issue for Guy and Kyle and some good action scenes, beautifully depicted. Only some odd choices in the panel layouts keeps it from being perfect.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Blackest Night #7

BAD THING: This comic winds up invalidating a LOT of what we know about the DC Multiverse's cosmology. I.E., exactly why The Guardians are called The Guardians and one more reason why Earth is so vitally important to the multiverse. I imagine this could be upsetting to the purists who don't appreciate Johns' "Emotional Spectrum" and all the related concepts.

GOOD THING: This. Just... THIS. And the fact that there are still some things in comics that can surprise me.

The Final Verdict: Pure unadulterated awesome for many reasons, though some of the revelations here are somewhat questionable compared to the canon history of the DC Universe as I understand it. Still, if you can get past that, it's a wild read which explains a lot.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Blackest Night: JSA #3

GOOD THING: We do get some insight into Jesse Quick's head this issue that - while not completely absolving her decision to go run with her Zombie Dad while her husband is getting his butt kicked - at least TRIES to explain her reasoning.

BAD THING: This final page, in which Mr. Terrific - the king of "Nothing Is Impossible" - explains just why the MacGuffin he put together to create a Black Lantern smiting smart-bomb can't work twice and why everything is now up to the Green Lantern Corps. Even if he couldn't get the same trick to work, this is Mr. Terrific we're talking about... he can out Batman Batman when it comes to coming up with plans!

There has to have been a more credible way to end the story. Have the Cosmic Rod break down. Have Fate warn that the stars are not right for his magics to duplicate that effect again. Have Alan Scott get hospitalized so they can't use his power anymore. Anything besides Mr. Terrific basically saying "That won't work again and there's nothing else we can do."



The Final Verdict: Easily skipped, even if you are a Blackest Night collector. Nothing much happens and - in the end - even the characters talk about how pointless their contribution to the overall story was. I expect better from James Robinson and Tony Bedard.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Green Arrow #30

GOOD THING: It's hard to narrow it down to one thing, but - after eliminating any points involving snide comments about Judd Winick and certain members of the Arrow Family having been restored to their basic levels of competence and ability (Connor Hawke is back! Yay!), I would have to say the best thing about this issue is that J. T. Krul has a good handle on the characters and the history of the Green Arrow family.

BAD THING: That being said, there is still some uncertainty as to just how much of the mythos Krul is or is not declaring null and void and what points he may be confused on. Does he honestly think Ollie had a willing sexual relationship with Shado? Does he really think Ollie ever had lustful intentions for Mia? Does he take the gods-awful reboot of Ollie's relationship with Connor presented in Green Arrow/Black Canary as gospel truth even while rejecting Connor's lost talents, memories and personalities? Or is all of this Black Lantern trickery?

Sadly, at this point a case could be made for Ollie's cries of "No!" at the actions of his zombie counterpart to be either fear that the truth is finally coming out or horror at the depths to which this monster will try to manipulate his family.



The Final Verdict: Cautiously optimistic. True, the artwork is laughable at points (it looks like they started drawing Dinah from the breasts outward in some panels) and I'm still not sure just how much of the Black Lantern "lies" Krul truly intended to be real lies. Still, this is the first Green Arrow book in the last few years that didn't leave me ranting and screaming. Take that for what you will, given how notoriously picky I am. I don't know much about art but I know what i hate. And I don't hate this. Parts of it, in fact, I love.

Blackest Night - The Week of 02/17/2010

BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #3 - Not really sure how to feel about this one, now.

On the one hand, I'm an unapologetic Geoff Johns fan and his run on The Flash was, for the most part, brilliant. Particularly the way he handled most of The Rogues.

On the other hand, I will admit that Johns has his faults and one of them is that while he is a fiend for continuity and characterization for characters that he likes, he does tend to slack off a little bit on the ones he isn't a fan of.

This is the only way I can explain why he was able to reinvent Captain Cold as a (no pun intended) stone-cold badass perfectly in line with his old appearances yet saw fit to completely ignore numerous Trickster appearances where he had become a con-man for the forces of good only to bring James Jesse back... as an FBI agent.

I mention this, because it is the only way I can explain away this issue. The scenes with Barry are okay - your standard issue Flash stuff. The scenes with The Rogues fighting their dead comrades are great. But everything falls apart in the final scene.

Stop reading now if you REALLY don't want a spoiler.

One of the subplots in this last issue is that Owen Mercer (aka Captain Boomerang II) starts feeding wannabe villains to the Black Lantern of his dad, Captain Boomerang I, having totally bought into the idea eating hearts will bring dear old dad back to life. The Rogues track him down and realize that - in desperation for ANYONE to satisfy his father - he's begun feeding his dad children. Captain Cold punts Owen into the pit Sparta-style and Owen is ripped to shreds, apparently rising as a Black Lantern himself shortly thereafter.

So what's the problem?

Well, nothing if - like me - you haven't been reading Outsiders and Batman and The Outsiders in the past few years and the only place you've seen Captain Boomerang the last few years has been as part of the new Suicide Squard. But if you HAVE been reading those books, there's a rather big problem, according to my buddy djt2445.

It seems that Owen was on The Outsiders for a while - making an honest go of being a hero - before being booted off the team by Batman. Why? Because Batman wanted him to act as an inside-man for him on Amanda Waller's new Suicide Squad, apparently trusting Owen because of his connections to Supergirl or some such.

So yeah... Owen had apparently overcome his connection to his dad and redeemed the legacy enough to have freaking BATMAN start trusting him... and now he's kidnapping children to feed to his zombie villain dad?

For shame, Geoff Johns. You fail hard.

And yet...



GREEN LANTERN #51 - ... when your heart is in all the characters, you make magic.

There's so much to like here. The two Orange Lanterns fighting each other more than hordes of Black Lanterns. The Red Lanterns trying - and failing - to recruit The Spectre as their avatar of Rage. How they eventually get Hal un-possessed. And The Spectre's attempts to try and inflict vengeance on Nekron, as ill-advised as they are. Picture perfect....



GREEN LANTERN CORPS #45 -... and yet, this book is even better.

Remember how awesome Mogo was last month? He becomes even more awesome this month.

How? You'll have to buy it and see.

Blackest Night - The Week of 02/10/2010

Well, jeepers. Only one Blackest Night title this week and it was Secret Six #18.

Can we just take it as read that this book was awesome and you should be reading it?

Thank you.

Blackest Night - The Week of 02/03/2010

BLACKEST NIGHT: WONDER WOMAN #3 - I have a LOT of problems with this comic. I think this is easily the worst part of this mini. And I know that's something considering how much I ripped on Part One and Part Two.

Okay. I can forgive the fact that Max Lord is being written badly out of character, even by the standards of what happened to him in the build up to Infinite Crisis. The Black Lanterns are, after all, a gross imitation of the beings they resemble. This has been explained.

I can forgive the fact that Carol Ferris and Diana are apparently chummy. It doesn't fit in with anything in any story I've ever read but I doesn't majorly conflict with any story I've ever read either.

But there are a lot of things that I can't forgive.

I can't forgive that this story doesn't synch up with the events of Blackest Night Six or Green Lantern #50 AT ALL.

I can't forgive the fact that there are wandering hordes of civilian Black Lantern zombies here, when at no point in the whole of Blackest Night have we seen Nekron raising dead people who weren't close to a superhero.

I can't forgive that Carol is made to look horribly ineffectual in comparison to Diana regarding using the ring, when Carol has been using a Star Sapphire for over a decade and is one of the few strong-willed enough to use the Power of Love without being consumed by it.

I especially can't forgive how bad THIS scene looks...

Even in the context of a Green Lantern's energy being needed to mix with the energy of another Corps in order to disable a Black Lantern ring... it just looks BAD for two allegedly capable heroines to be presented as being basically helpless and one of them going away so that a man can save them.

But perhaps the most unforgivable aspect of this is the final battle, in which Diana is trying to bring sense to a raging-out Mera and she discovers the long-hidden dark secret that is the source of Mera's rage.

What is it? Damned if I know. It never is explained. I have some idea after Green Lantern #50 but I can't say for sure. And in a crossover where everything else has been explained so well, I find that inexcusable.

Don't waste any money on this if you haven't already.


THE QUESTION #37 - This book is fittingly named. All I have after reading it are questions. How does Shiva know Vic Sage's Black Lantern is going to show up where it does? Are we really supposed to believe that in all her years in battle, Shiva has never been shot ONCE?! How does any of this relate to what is happening elsewhere in Blackest Night? But perhaps the biggest question of all is how Greg Rucka can manage to screw up a book while co-writing with Denny O'Neil.

Blackest Night - The Week of 01/27/2010

The good news is that payday has come, my tab at the comic book shop is all paid up and I have all the books I wanted to get over the last month.

The bad news is that leaves me with 40-something books to cover.

Why is that bad news? Consider the effect that writing 40 something reviews in a timely manner would have on your friends' list to say nothing of my front page.

So rather than spam-bomb us all with individual reviews, I'm going to do this the old-fashioned way and just give you my Fast Thoughts on each issue, with comics scans as needed.





BLACKEST NIGHT: JSA #2 - I want to like this issue. I really do.

It was written by two writers - James Robinson and Tony Bedard - whose work I have both found extremely enjoyable (Starman and Birds of Prey) and, at times, extremely annoying (JLA: Cry For Justice and the 2008 Black Canary mini-series). They are capable of writing some truly beautiful character moments and - occasionally - completely screwing up characters in the name of story.

So I'm not sure where the finger of blame should fall here because I can easily see either of these writers... well, I don't want to say dropping the ball because this is just my opinion here... but I'd like to think that as many times as Jessie Quick has had a vision of her father, hale and hearty in the Speed Force, that she wouldn't be QUITE so quick to change into her old costume so she could go jogging with a zombie version of her dad, thus abandoning her husband during the middle of a supervillain fight.

I'm just saying.

I'm also somewhat concerned that the Earth 2 Lois Lane appears here (as does - eventually - the Earth 2 Superman) despite both apparently having been destroyed during the Blackest Night: Superman mini-series... also written by James Robinson. I know there's a lot to suggest that The Black Lanterns are capable of reforming so long as enough of the body remains... but still, it's a bit jarring to see them here after they were supposedly stopped by Superman, Superboy and Krypto.

Oy.

The artwork, at least, is gorgeous. And the action scenes are really good. It's just that a lot of the characterization is questionable. Still worth a read though.



THE ATOM AND HAWKMAN #46 - Issues like this are why I'm an unapologetic Geoff Johns fan.

As much a character study of the character of Ray Palmer aka The Atom as it is a slap-bang fight issue between two old friends (aka The Atom and Black Lantern Hawkman), Johns gives us more insight into Ray's character than we've gotten in anything I can remember reading. This includes the highly overrated Identity Crisis, which Johns manages to reference in this issue without making me feel ill.

We also, for those of you keeping track, get a clear definition of the powers of the Indigo rings. Apart from the usual flight, force-fields and energy manipulation, they can teleport to those who need them, copy the light signatures of other nearby Power Rings, heal physical wounds as well as emotional fatigue and send messages across great interstellar distances.



GREEN LANTERN #50 - Okay. It looks like I need to add a correction to what I said about The Phantom Stranger tie-in. Hal being nabbed by a Black Lantern possessed Spectre gets addressed in this issue as does the fight in Blackest Night: The Flash #2 where Barry frees the living Firestorm from the grasp of the undead one.

Sorry Geoff. I shouldn't have doubted you. So as much as I question the wisdom of Hal's plan here - to release Parallax and allow it to retake control of him again as Parallax is the only being they know of that was ever able to hold The Spectre in check - I have faith that this will turn out to be as jaw-droppingly awesome as every other thing you've written for Blackest Night so far has been.

And before anybody screams spoilers... the cover is a dead giveaway as to what has happened by issue's end.

Incidentally, I just love how the Orange Lanterns do NOTHING but argue with one another the whole issue. And the sheer joy of The Scarecrow during this scene steals the show.

Blackest Night - The Week of 01/20/2010

The good news is that payday has come, my tab at the comic book shop is all paid up and I have all the books I wanted to get over the last month.

The bad news is that leaves me with 40-something books to cover.

Why is that bad news? Consider the effect that writing 40 something reviews in a timely manner would have on your friends' list to say nothing of my front page.

So rather than spam-bomb us all with individual reviews, I'm going to do this the old-fashioned way and just give you my Fast Thoughts on each issue, with comics scans as needed.




BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #2 - A wonderful issue overall, despite Scott Kolins art being a little over-inked in places. The two sub-plots are both paced well, as we see two separate battles; the first between The Rogues Gallery and their dead members - the other between two Flashes (Barry and Wally) and Blue Lantern Saint Walker against a host of Black Lanterns - both former friends and old enemies.

There's a lot of nice little touches here. I loved Captain Cold's ability to "force his heart cold" coming into play here. I loved the final splash page in which an unexpected ally shows up to save one of the Black Lanterns.

The only real complaint I have is that we could have had a whole issue of the Rogues without Barry and Wally coming into it. A lot of the Rouge fights are pushed into the background and there's a lot of interesting conflicts here that should have gotten more screen time.

Among other things I wished we could have seen in depth are a battle between both Tricksters (we see the new one running from the old one in the background of one panel) and the undead Rainbow Raider's reaction to the whole spectrum of colors he can see now - a fact that is revealed in another one-panel throw-away gag.

Still, a must read for all Rogues fans.


GREEN LANTERN CORPS #44 - Guy is a bad ass, who maintains the willpower to use a Red AND Green ring at the same time. That we knew.

What we didn't know until this issue? Mogo is an even bigger badass and not just in terms of size.

This is THE Must Read title of the crossover.


PHANTOM STRANGER #42 - There's a lot of neat ideas here but none of them seem to be connecting to the main Blackest Night storyline. That wouldn't be so bad except that some of these ideas, if true, really SHOULD be relevant to what is happening in the main book... like The Spectre being indirectly controlled by Nekron through his own host and said Black Spectre declaring that Hal Jordan must taste vengeance!

Still, The Stranger is cool as ever here. Naturally he proves quite immune to the Black Lanterns attacks and trying to draw out his heart only results in a very terrified and confused zombie. And pairing him up with Blue Devil as a partner/straight man works amazingly well.

It's just rather random how we go from a battle with The Spectre to The Stranger declaring that Boston Brand's body will be important to the coming battle and how they must recover it, leading to an encounter with Deadman that brings to light some information we already had. But it is a good read and a good issue, if not truly essential to the overall Blackest Night storyline.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Secret Six #17

GOOD THING: Lots of good fights in this issue. But my favorite has got to be Jeanette's taking down Virtuoso.




BAD THING: Just a small continuity point but... you know, with all the people coming back from the dead seeking revenge... I'm amazed there's not a small horde of zombies going after Amanda Waller. Hell, I'd pay money just to see a book of "The Wall" kicking zombie ass on her lonesome. Don't think she couldn't do it...



The Final Verdict: Not nearly as much Zombie action as one might hope for... but c'mon. It's Secret Six vs. Suicide Squad vs. Zombie Suicide Squad. This is awesome any way you slice it.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Power of Shazam #48

GOOD THING: They do go out of their way to make sure we know the full story of Osiris and how he came to die. This is important since there are a large number of comic fans who didn't read 52.

BAD THING: The problem is that after all that, they make the mistake of assuming that we've read JSA: Black Adam & Isis and know exactly why The Marvel Family is sidelined during the whole story. (For the record, I'm one of the ones who HADN'T read JSA: Black Adam & Isis and is still confused as to why Captain Marvel isn't Shazam and why Mary Marvel isn't dressed like a reject from Remember The '80s?)

The Final Verdict: One of the more interesting Blackest Night tie-ins, if one of the more confusing. The Marvel Family isn't in it, except to explain why they aren't in it. And the book rather depends upon the reader being familiar with the events of JSA: Black Adam & Isis and 52, yet only recounts the details of the later story. Good art, though. And it's not a bad read if you can get past the continuity details.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Catwoman #83

GOOD THING: Tony Bedard writes the best Harley and Ivy this side of Paul Dini. And they are used to good effect here as Selina's back-up in fighting a Black Lantern Black Mask.

BAD THING: The ending seems to be setting up something big... which seems unfortunate in something that we know is meant to be a one-shot ending the series again with no loose ends. And the loose end left behind is a pretty big one that deserves resolution.



The Final Verdict: A decent all-around issue. The story is pretty standard stuff, made all the more enjoyable for the inclusion of Harley and Ivy. The ending is a bit questionable, seeming to suggest a continuation of the story that we know isn't coming... probably. Still, the artwork is great.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Starman #81

I know I still haven't gotten around to reviewing most of LAST week's comics... but I think everyone is curious to note how I'll rate this book, being the source of my nickname and all.





GOOD THING: The Shade proving to be immune to the Black Lantern's main method of attack... and more, capable of turning his own black heart into a weapon against the Black Lantern who attacked him.

BAD THING: Fernando Dagnino is no Tony Harris. His style seems far too sketchy for my taste and - somehow - manages the trick of looking overly sketched AND over-inked, thanks to the colorist's choice in pallet. Granting that this is a Shade story, things don't need to look like ink was smudged on the page.

The Final Verdict: This is the James Robinson we know and love. A fitting continuation of the Starman saga, which doesn't change a bit of the original ending and indeed builds upon something that was hinted to be coming. A must read for all fans of the Opal City crowd, despite some artwork that is - much like The Shade - a bit dark and more than a little dodgy.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Weird Western Tales #71

GOOD THING: Three Words: Zombie Jonah Hex.

BAD THING: There's not a lot of substance here. The story with Jonah Hex and the descendant of his arch-enemy aside, this is just your basic zombie horror story. The only thing that separates this from any other zombie story is the added twist that the zombies in this case are Old West heroes from the classic days of DC Comics.



The Final Verdict: It's a rippin' yarn. The kind of story that could almost only be told in the comic book genre. It's not particularly deep but it is what it is: a story full of zombie cowboys fighting scientists and superheroes while chasing after what is essentially a cursed ring. If that sentence doesn't raise your interest, then you'd best skip this one.

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Suicide Squad #67

GOOD THING: If I have to pick just one awesome thing out of an entire comic where the Secret Six break into Belle Reeve and are ambushed by the current Suicide Squad as part of Amanda Waller's plan to get Deadshot back on her team... I'd have go to with newbie Secret Six member Black Alice's assessment of her new teammates.

That is, for those of you who have trouble with the font...

Bane: I don't like the big bossy guy very much.

Catman: Looks like an ad for Grant's Gym and he SMELLS like concentrated DUDE.

Jeanette: Either she's NUTS or the world's most committed COSPLAYER.

Deadshot: I don't know. I can move mountains and he STILL freaks me out.

Ragdoll: He is creepy and deformed and effeminate and all COVERED in twisty scars. That's so hot. Hot hot HOT!

BAD THING: As utterly awesome as this issue is, it has precious little to do with Blackest Night. Sure, there's some scenes of The Fiddler discussing his connection to The Secret Six AND The Suicide Squad at the start and a whole mess of ex-Suicide Squad members rising from the dead at the end... but none of this is connected to the cool story in the middle.



The Final Verdict: A truly awesome story and a must read for all fans of Suicide Squad or Secret Six. Not a lot to do with Blackest Night... yet. I suspect what little there is is set-up for Part Two.

A Disturbing Realization...

The Star Sapphires are powered by The Power Of Love.

They each have a ring that lets them focus this power.

This gives them some vaguely define abilities regarding reading the hearts of others.

So basically, all Star Sapphires have The Power of Heart?

One Good Thing And One Bad Thing About Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2

GOOD THING: Beautiful, poster-worthy Nicola Scott artwork throughout.

BAD THING: It's all a dream. Seriously. The whole issue is a frelling dream sequence!

This is probably for the best as it directly contradicts the events of Blackest Night #6 but also a bit of a problem... since IT'S MEANT TO BE TAKING PLACE DURING THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT SCENE IN BLACKEST NIGHT #6!

I can summarize the whole book in six lines.

ZOMBIE DIANA: I will kill everyone you love and respect!

REAL DIANA (Inside Zombie Diana's Head): No! Please! Stop! Don't!

BATMAN: Diana, I love you!

ZOMBIE DIANA: Huh? But Bruce is dead! This doesn't make any sense.

APHRODITE: Yes, daughter! It was all a dream I put you in so that you wouldn't really hurt anyone. Now here is a Violet Ring so that you may share the Power of Love with everyone!

Cue Huey Lewis And The News' 'Power Of Love' as Star Sapphire Diana flies into the clouds.


Food For Thought: Am I the only one disturbed that apparently Aphrodite will intervene to stop Diana from senseless hurting her friends but she doesn't give two swift-kicks-to-the-rump about the equally-zombie-fied, equally Amazon and equally dangerous Donna Troy?



The Final Verdict: A completely pointless issue all around.

In a single issue, Greg Rucka has embodied the greatest problem with most tie-in books. There is no emotional investment, since we already know how it is going to end thanks to Blackest Night #6. The action of this book doesn't relate or connect to the events of Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #1. And this book is meant to be a tie-in to Blackest Night but it fails to tie-in to the events of the story it is meant to be taking place during (Blackest Night #6). And I still think Diana is a much more complicated character than Rucka ever gave her credit for and that citing Diana as "the most loving person on the planet" is inaccurate and a serious underestimation of Wonder Woman as a character.

At least it's pretty to look at.